Kits55

i love these! What an awesome job you did!

IMHO I'm probably not about to send thank you cards to the guests that came because I think only 20% weren't a complete pain in my ass more than once during our engagement (it was only a year long!). So, yes, I'm a little bitter but I also have sent or called thank yous since I could read and write. I always do it but we paid for meals Friday night, provided everything Saturday (people have no idea just how much money we spent trying to provide for their comfort and happiness), and gave OOT bags, pre-travel brochures, luggage tags, etc. We put A LOT of time into making things for them (a complete welcome book) to make sure they felt welcome and informed. We had NO guests give us gifts for our wedding. Even at our AHR I think only 2 guests gave us a gift. I honestly didn't expect any gifts because of the grumbling that was going on before our wedding so the only reason I'm thinking about it now is because of this thread. I do have one additional question: we had our AHR and there were a majority of people that didn't give so much as a card, they just ate the food and drank the beverages. We didn't pay for it, my in laws did but do we still have to write thank yous for people that came? We didn't know a lot of the people there (they were there for DH's parents) so how would even go about writing thanks to that?

Hi Girls: I just received an email from a company that is going to publish a DIY book for weddings! You don't "win" anything but if you're project is picked then you can be included in the book! It's a great way for some vendors and DIYers on here to be recognized publicly! I know I have seen A LOT of projects that should be submitted! Below are the rules for making a submission. If you DO submit to the book post your submitted project(s) on this thread so we can all see. Dear Brides, WS Publishing Group (publisher of the top 30 best-selling wedding books in North America, WS Publishing Group) is publishing a new book on DIY weddings, and we are looking for the coolest and most creative DIY wedding projects around. Would you be interested in contributing? This is a cool opportunity to plug yourself and your business, get published, and have your projects seen by thousands of people. Here are the details, and pass this email on to anyone else who might be interested, too! Send as many projects as you like. If project/s are chosen, you will have those pages in the book attributed to you and your company. If you have a craft-related company, you’ll also go in the Resources section. Free advertising! We would need the following information for each project: · Your full name, company, and website · Materials needed (include necessary resources) · Approx cost of materials and tools · Approx time needed for this project (i.e. three months out from the wedding date) · Steps needed to complete the project and any tips · A photo of the completed product · Photos of the important steps of the project NOTE: Photos must be print-quality, meaning taken on the highest-resolution setting on your camera, about 2 MB in size or larger. Since you will be sending several large photos, please use the free email service MailBigFile.com | Send Large Files - Quick & Easy - Free Service - Web Transfer - Pro & Business Accounts to email [email protected]. Thank you! While there is no monetary compensation for contributing, this is a cool opportunity to get your DIY projects seen by thousands of engaged couples. Our books are carried in all major bookstores across the US and Canada, as well as on Amazon.com, and have sold millions of copies. The DIY projects will also appear on our social networking site for weddings, WedSpace. Projects relating to any aspect of the wedding are welcome, but here are the general categories being covered: - Save the Dates - Invitations - Attire: dying shoes, simple alterations on dress, flower girl attire, etc - Hairpieces: flowers, birdcage veils - Accessories/jewelry - Floral arrangements - Ring pillow/box - Centerpieces - Ceremony décor: altar, seat covers, wreaths, garlands, etc - Décor: chandeliers, signs - Guestbook - Photos at wedding - Placecards - Table numbers - Boutonnières for groom and groomsmen - Gifts for wedding party - Emergency package for bride - Ceremony programs - Accessories for your dog! - Menu - Cake, desserts - Bar: personalized wine labels, etc - Music playlists - Favors - Thank you cards - Photo albums Contact [email protected] with any questions! We look forward to seeing everyone’s DIY wedding submissions! Thanks so much, Brettan Bablove Editorial Director WS Publishing Group WS Publishing Group

If you enter FREESHIP at checkout you will get free shipping for all orders placed before Wednesday, May 27, 2009! I'm thinking about making one with just the pictures our guests took!

Enter FREESHIP at checkout for My Publisher on any order if you order before Wednesday, May 27!

So, we found out about 7 weeks before our wedding that we're temporarily relocating to South Africa in less than four weeks now! The wedding was all consuming for me so I didn't really think about it until now. So much still has to be done and I'm really freaking about bringing our cats. I can't bear to think bad thoughts because I would truly lose it if anything bad happened to them. I am afraid that I will intense homesickness. I am worried I will hate the food (I'm a picky eater). I'm afraid that I'll lose some of my friends here. I am excited about coming back for my sister's wedding in September. I am excited that WORLD CUP 2010 will be IN SOUTH AFRICA! Woo-hoo! I am excited for the lion park where I can pet baby lions. I am excited to travel around Africa. I am excited to volunteer with HIV/AIDS organizations. Has anyone lived in or near Johannesburg before or have any advice to offer? I've lived abroad before but this will be totally different. I also have been told by a friend that is from South Africa that I can't wear my wedding/e rings because it'll make me a target, in a bad way. So I have to leave it in the States but I've only been wearing it for 3 weeks now

I had 2 usable ones before the wedding...and 2 that were garbage. I bought FIVE from Victoria's Secret PLUS a really skimpy one piece...glad I did but not sure when I'll need all five again

I'm afraid to answer these...there are so many questions now! 1.What is your current job, and if you had to switch careers, what would the other career be? I currently have a very small anti-aging home business. If I could have any career I would want to be a holistic cat vet. 2: What is your favorite hobby? does checking email 90 times a day count? I love boxing and lifting weights 3: What is your favorite holiday, and why? toughie-fourth of july because of fireworks, tasty food, and a day off work 4: What is your greatest achievement? One of my least favorite questions ever...I guess it has to be graduating with a four year degree 5: What is your favorite animal... and why? Hand downs, CATS. I am the crazy cat lady except I happen to be married! For many reasons, they are quiet, soft, cuddly, entertaining, intelligent, annoying, beautiful, adorable, the make the cutest babies, small, gentle, need I say more? 6: What is your dream trip? Egypt, South Korea (again), Africa (we're moving there) 7: What is your favourite food? another toughie...sour cream and onion chips, cupcakes, and spaghetti Os (i guess i'm still a big kid) 8: Who has made the biggest impact in your life? My husband, I've really grown up in the years we've been together and he has taught me a lot about life and random tidbits of info 9: If you were a crayola crayon, what color would you be, and why? shocking pink is my favorite but i'd probably be the Wild Strawberry. I can be kind of wild, kind of sweet and i love strawberries 10: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? somewhere with snow, low wind, low humidity, and not too many bugs (must have all four seasons) 11: How many siblings do you have? younger sister 12: What is your biggest fear? failure and people judging me 13: What’s your favorite holiday dish you make for your family? I've never had to make one...I don't cook well 14: Do you have a nickname? Kel, Smackey, Long Ass, Cute Baby, KB 15: What causes do you support? Animal rights, no kill, free roaming cat shelter, Alley Cat Allies, Room to Read 16: What is your guilty pleasure? Dr. Pepper 17. If you could have one Special Power..What would it be & Why?? Flying so I could get things done more quickly and get away from the horrid drivers around here 18. How old are you? 26 19. If you won the lottery (hundreds of millions) what would you do? invest most of it, pay off my debts, give a lot to my family, give a lot to my favorite cat shelter and charities, travel 20. What gadget do you not need, but still want? laptop as long as I have high speed internet 21. What is your favourite T.V. show? The Office 22. When did you know that FI was "the One?" yikes, almost since we first met but I thought I was just imagining it 23. What is your favorite item of clothing? sweatpants 24. How many or do you want children? i don't, he does, he wants 2 25. Have you ever met anyone famous? If so, who? no 26. If you could be someone else for a day who would it be and why? i know it sounds terrible but I'd maybe be Farrah Fawcett. To have once been so beautiful and famous but now be dealing with raging cancer would really help put things in perspective for me. To be able to realize to live each moment as if it's precious would be a great lesson at such a young. It's easy to keep thinking and trying to do that but some lessons are harder learnt for me. 27. Is there anything that you regret doing? Yes, spring of 2004 28. What is your worst bad habit? biting my nails 29. What's your middle name? Does it have significance? Jung, it was part of my birth name, Kim, Jung Duk 30. What's the craziest thing you've ever done? crazy in a fun way or crazy in a bad, psycho way? I haven't done anything too crazy I guess 31. What is the one thing that your significant does that drives you CRAZY? it's a tie between every time I ask/tell him to do something if he doesn't "understand why" then he just won't do it. Also, he knows a little bit about everything so every time i learn something new and tell him, he HAS to add more knowledge to my tidbit of info. 32. What’s your favorite movie? Lion King or Wedding Crashers 33. What's your least favorite food? too many to count! Seafood foremost 34. Why did you choose a destination wedding? I wanted it small, intimate, beautiful and neither of wanted to get married in a church 35. How long were FI and you together when you got engaged? 7 1/2 years 36. What person in your life really gets under your skin, and how do you know them? he'll have to remain nameless...met him through DH 37. When and how did you and your FI meet? August 2001, at a fraternity party, he was wasted 38. Even with all the ups and downs along the way, would you still go through with your DW knowing what you know now? YES!!!!!! but i'd start working on project WAAAAAY sooner! 39. Do you have any pets? Keeva-gray and white striped cat Piggy-dilute calico cat 40. If you could hook up with a celebrity for one night, who would it be? Johnny Depp or Tatum Channing 41. What's your sexual fantasy and have you ever played it out? rape game, not really DH says he feels weird. lol 42. What's the one thing other than FI that you would bring to a deserted tropical island? BOTH cats 43. Do you have any tattoos? Nada 44. Chocolate, vanilla or strawberry? Chocolate 45. What season do you enjoy most and why? Fall but only where the gorgeous trees are, great weather 46. What is your favourite book? 9 Things you Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love and Life-Henry Cloud 47. What astrological sign are you and does it represent your personality? Sagittarius-yes 46. What did you do with all your time PRE-BDW? procrastinate DIY projects for the wedding, workout 47. If you could choose the gender of your future children would you? yes1 48. If you could change one thing about your wedding what would it be? make my photog take pictures that I really wanted that he didn't 49. What do you prefer on your FI/DH? calvin klein boxer briefs (old style) 50. What was the last meal you had? one slice left over deLite pizza 51. Did you hint to your FI what you wanted for an engagement ring, or did he choose it on his own? I picked it out and he had it designed 52. How did you decide on a wedding date? had to work around his mom's schedule, knew i wanted a fairly short engagement and he proposed on a friday so I knew we could marry the same day but this year 53. How are chores divided in your relationship? i try to do everything since I'm not working right now but he cooks more than I do and takes the trash out more often. he doesn't mind helping with laundry and vacuuming 54. If you were forced to leave your house for good and you were only able to take one personal belonging, what would you take and why? Cats! I count them as one thing because put together they weigh the same as one fat cat 55. Do you wish your FI was an only child? no, i wish he had more sibs 56. If there was one thing in your life you wish you could go back and change, what would it be? breaking up with DH while I was studying abroad 57. If you could pick one thing to see in the future would you and what would it be? the day and the way DH and our cats will die (I need to prepare mentally) 58. Did you go to college? University 59. What’s your favourite music artist? Kings of Leon, Rascal Flatts 60. What is the first vacation you remember from childhood and what made it memorable? we didn't really take any far away, I guess to our cabin all of the time. 61. Is your current hair color your natural hair color? Yes, nearly a true black 62. What is your most persistent worry? Finances, having to fly our cats over to South Africa in the cargo hold i'm FREAKING OUT.... 63. Did your FI/DH ask you or your father first? me 64. If you could pause time for a couple of hours what would you do with the extra time? post my wedding stuff on BDW 65. If you like to read magazines, What do you like to see or read? Muscle and Fitness Hers, Oxygen, Cat Fancy, Natural Cat by Cat Fancy My question: What did you do for your bachelorette party? I didn't get one I can't drink so my sister didn't know what to do booooooring! What is your favorite thing/What you are looking forward to the most about being a wife?

OK, I'll have more patience. I am just so excited to get them and even though I love the pictures our guests took I"m DYING to see our pro pics! He knows that we have our AHR on the 30th so I think he's going to try to get them to us before then. That would be 5 weeks after the wedding. He also knows that we're moving to South Africa in the middle of June so if he wants us to buy an album we need to have enough time to get it!

Quote: Originally Posted by TheFutureMrs.Sears Everyones centerpieces look great...but did the hotels have them or did you bring them yourself? i brought my own because I knew what I wanted. My resort, Secrets Maroma does have centerpieces available that are included in each of the packages. The included centerpieces are really simple ones and I wanted lights, candles, acrylic diamonds, silver branches, etc so I knew I would have to get my own.

Hi Girls: I am curious to see how long it takes most DW photogs to get all of the pictures to you. I used a photog that had never done a DW before and photograhy is not his full time job. He has now been home for 3 weeks but his latest said he was beat but was still working on it. I'm not sure if this is a normal length of time so I thought I'd start a poll!

Ashey, I think that I would feel the exact same way that you did when you started the thread. That is A LOT of money to lose out on especially because I'm sure you've spent a ton on other wedding preparations. I would be extremely disappointed in a vendor that had been great up to the moment he said no refund. Even though his work is great and his service up to that point was great it would have been a good faith gesture if he had even offered to give you SOME back. I understand that deposits are usually non refundable but having worked in a field in a service that required pre-payment and people paying per session I tried to show as much smart business sense as possible if something came up that was unavoidable for my clients. I gave money back, chose not to charge for late cancels, and even extended the expiration dates on sessions. So while I understand I still think that a smart business move would have been to give you part of your money back. In the business world if you take care of your clients they will take care of you...

Quote: Originally Posted by Lindsey Hi everyone! I have looked all over the forum for a thread about bringing my own photog from the states and doing our TTD. I am super excited about taking great beach pics as well as cenote pics, but I have several questions!!! I am curious to know- from those of you who have either been there or been through this process: *Which cenotes are close to Cancun, gorgeous, and allow pictures? *Also, I have read many times that several of the cenotes require permission for photography. How should we go about getting that? * What is the average "photography" fee that they charge- so we are prepared? * Lastly, we are getting married at Beach Palace, which ironically, doesn't have much of a beach and need great advice for amazing beaches. All help is appreciated! Thanks ladies!!! Hi Lindsey: We just got married at the end of April we stayed at Secrets Maroma which is between Puerto Morelos and PDC. So, south of where you're staying. I'm not sure how far you guys plan to drive for your cenote/beach pictures but from SMB it took us about an hour obeying all speed limits. If you go faster (as fast as the crazy locals) it took us 45 minutes. So it might be kind of far for you but here's my info: I have heard that the beach in PDC (right off of 5th avenue) is really pretty and I did see part of it but we were right by The Royal. There is public access to the beach in that area so you could go there for free probably for a pretty beach. Our cenote was called Azul Cenote which is also located near Choc-Mool, El Eden (Ponderosa), and Cristalino. We had to pay $50 Pesos per person to get in but there was no extra charge. The guys who take the money did come down during our session and were trying to say something in Spanish but we could really only understand "mas denero". We think they saying we could use the bathroom for more money or something like that. We did not have to have permission, we just paid at the "gate". I know it's far from Cancun, sorry I can't help with ones closer to Cancun.

maybe I'm just a DIY undergarments dope but I could not get it to work for the life of me. I bought everything that MsShelley posted about but I even have a Bejeweler for different size Swarovski crystals. I was having problems with the sticky paper. I will say I was in a HUGE rush so that could have been part of the problem too. I guess I needed more time to figure it out completely.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ottawa Bride Your pictures are awesome! Where did you get the 'Gracias' parasol? Ottawa Bride: I purchased a 12 pack of parasols at Oriental Trading (Party supplies, crafts, party decorations, toys: Oriental Trading) for $29.99. I then used a projector, my fiance, dull pencil, very thin black marker, black acrylic shimmer paint, and a small brush, narrow, hard bristled brush. Here is a thread on the steps to making your own. It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be...especially if you have help http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t3273 i think the different methods that other girls used start on page 5 or maybe. Here is a thread that discusses the quality of the OT parasols. http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t34897 HTH!

I really wish I had had the foresight to be as creative as you all are on here!! I think I only got to order some postcards for our guests and post cards for our thank yous.

Man, I wonder why my guests were such nimkumpoops? I was really hoping that they'd be a crowd pleaser but everyone just raved about the drinks and service. lol Great job girls!

With my very minimal knowledge if it was me I would try the certified letter first. Once you have filed a complaint with the BBB they will forward your complaint on to Blue Sky Weddings. Blue Sky Weddings will have 10 days to respond back to the BBB. If they do not respond in the first ten days, they are sent a second notice, then again a third notice. If after 30 days Blue Sky Weddings has not responded to the BBB it is left as an open complaint. The BBB is also supposed to check with you (I believe) to see if the issue has been resolved to your satisfaction. The biggest thing is that the BBB cannot force Blue Sky Weddings to give the money back but they're basically your muscle to show that you have some powerful back-up on your side. This I all found out when I filed a complaint about a medical credit company. I'm still waiting to hear back from the company that withdrew funds from my account, unauthorized. I wish you much luck!

I had to leave my furbabies at home. We have two cats and they are on a special diet. I was able to convince two different friends to come over every other day. There were only 2 of the 10 days that we were gone that they didn't get fed. They are very spoiled little kitties! I just can't help myself!

The colors are gorgeous together. You must have spent a lot of time working on them. The brochure looks awesome and it looks like you did an amazing job putting it all together!

I can't help as much as other brides that have gotten married in Cabo because I got married in RM. It was unseasonably windy, so windy in fact that I had our reception moved indoors. I did have some pretty wind blown hair so far I do not regret it (I'll have to decide when I get my pro pics back!). I have never looked good in up-dos so I'm happy with having worn it down.

awesome dresses...it keeps making me wish we were getting in the future so I could pick all new stuff

Thanks everyone! I am pretty pleased so far! Foxytv, my photog is a local guy (Kansas City area) named Steve Melvin. I worked out a trade for him and his assistant to have them shoot Friday night, Saturday for the wedding, and Sunday's TTD session. I think we ended up saving a lot in the end by doing it that way because otherwise we would have had to pay their hotel, airfare, ground transportation and STILL pay for the hours they worked.

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan we had this issue too. right after our ceremony a woman came running up & kept clicking pictures of us. we asked her what she was doing and she said, "it's just so beautiful I want pictures." Then we asked her to leave & she started taking pictures from farther away. I saw her at breakfast one morning & I had my camera with me. I was tempted to get up in her face & take pictures while she ate. One reason why people do this, is to build up a wedding portfolio. It's so unethical though. They did not pose that photograph or book that wedding. So it's missleading to people looking at their site. Oh man! Luckily we didn't have anyone that zealous trying to get so many pictures of us but I was a tiny bit put off by it. That would have been SO hilarious if you had gone up to her and started taking pictures of her eating! lol I also feel really weird knowing that these people will probably show friends and family pictures of us...not to mention if they post them online and what not. I try to keep myself and DH off the internet as much possible so I don't even have a Facebook or MySpace account. I really don't want randoms posting pictures of us anywhere. My photog said he shot a few far away pictures of a beach reception one night but he asked the couple if it was OK and they said yes. I hope he doesn't plan on posting them to his website because our reception was inside and not on the beach. I really don't him to do any false advertising but now that he's had a taste of a destination wedding he wants to do a lot more!

Creative guestbook post—put wording into attachment for others to download I decided to do a combination of ideas. TowniePrincess helped me out A TON. She had a list of questions that she so generously sent to me. I LOVED the idea of having a photo book of pictures from the Riviera Maya region but then I thought depending on how colorful or dark the pictures are that even a black sharpie might not show up. I was going to wait and buy the book in Mexico. Then I wondered what I would do if the book was a really heavy one since we had to pay an overweight fee on the way down. Instead I used our Save the Date and engagement session pictures as the background, one on each page. I faded them out in Photoshop and then used text to put different questions on each page. Our guests then answered the questions (they ranged from fun to serious) and they chose how many to answer. Some people wrote on only a couple pages but others wrote on more. I am a horrible photographer but pictures of how it turned out are below. I used MyPublisher | Create your own Photo Book with MyPublisher and receive a published hardcover book! to make the book. (here's a thread with a My Publisher review: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t42023) If you go to My Publisher’s website and sign up for emails you can get a coupon for buy one get one free. In all honesty I have no idea what to do with our extra copy because people at the AHR’s aren’t writing as much I thought they would. We purchased 3 mini Sharpies. I chose fuchsia and black Sharpies because those were two of our wedding colors. Both show up very well on the faded out pictures. We bought the Sharpies at Michaels for $1 each. I also saw some at Bed, Bath, and Beyond by the register tonight. The attachment is what I had printed as our cover page for the guestbook explaining to guests what we wanted them to do. Guestbook Front Page.doc